Blog Tour and Review of A Tale of Light and Shadow

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Tale of Light and Shadow! This is one of those books that I kept thinking about long after I’d finished reading. I’m excited to share it with you!

About the Book:

A Tale of Light and Shadow by Jacob Gowans

Age Range: 12 and up

Series: A Tale of Light and Shadow

Hardcover: 400 pages

Publisher: Shadow Mountain (September 9, 2014)

Genre: Fantasy

Source: From publisher for tour

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Enter Atolas, a world where swords and daggers both extend life and end
it; where magic is feared by all but a few; where feuds and friendships
influence kingdoms and courtships. Henry and Isabelle have secretly
sworn to marry despite his lowly station. Though Henry is but a
carpenter, his devotion drives him to commit an unthinkable act that may
cost both of them their lives. Unknown to either, a dark prophecy has
set in motion events which will affect not only them, but the thrones of
rulers throughout all of Atolas by eclipsing the world in shadow. But
all is not lost while hope remains in the guise of an unlikely hero and
the strength of friendship.

About the Author:

JACOB GOWANS was raised in
Papillion, Nebraska, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater
studies and then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from
dental school at Case Western Reserve University. Jacob and his wife and
three children live in Arizona where he works as a dentist for the
Indian Health Services. A Tale of Light and Shadow is his first
published book.

My Thoughts:

The cover for this book is somewhat misleading. It has the appearance of
an action packed middle grade fantasy with lots of magic and scary
creatures, but this book is mostly a love story. It’s about Henry and
Isabelle and their desperate wish to get married, in spite of everything
working against them. While there are some suspenseful scenes in the
book, it mainly focuses on the power of friendship, forgiveness, and
love. Once I adjusted my expectations, I liked the story a lot.

A Tale of Light and Shadow is more young adult than middle grade, but
kids as young as ten could read and enjoy it. There isn’t any offensive
content, but there is some non-descriptive violence.

The story is told from various points of view, in third person, which
creates a different experience for the reader. The author pulled
it off fairly well and the book didn’t have any major hiccups. Some
parts got a little slow, but I appreciated the character building that
happened during those times.

Content: Non-descriptive violence

Source: I received a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.